Primrose's Games
by Magicath Wrenade
Summary: What if Katniss couldn't volunteer. Would Prim survive? Prim POV


I wake up to the unfamiliar sounds of Katniss' hunting boots and the smell of fresh game, not that Katniss isn't a good hunter; she's excellent, its just the majority of the time she trades it at the Hob for essentials like bread and soap. I slither out of bed, trying to avoid waking my mother up and meet Katniss in the kitchen.

"That stupid cat of your's keeps trying to steal my game" Katniss sighs shoving her onto the ground from the windowsill, where Buttercup lands on all four feet, thats what I love about Buttercup, she doesn't let anything break her, she always lands on her feet, she's a lot like Katniss in that way, although they hate each other so they hate to admit it. "I saved you something" Katniss smiles revealing fresh bread, a strawberry, some blackberries and some of the cheese I left out for her.

"Thank you" I say wrapping my arms around her, the smell of her hunting jacket brings back memories of when my father was still around and would bring back game too. I take a handful of blackberries and pop them into my mouth one by one "how's Gale?" I ask trying to fill the silence between each berry.

"He's... um..good- He's just... being an idiot"

"How so?" I say spreading the cheese over the bakery bread, I love the bakery because the baker's son has a crush on Katniss, I always try and trick Katniss to get her into the bakery so she can talk to Peeta while I look at the vast collection of well decorated cakes that we could never afford in a million years!

"He wants to run away, live in the forrest"

"That's an awful idea! He could get caught and then he would get publicly executed! How would he survive? There isn't an infinite amount of game! And-" Katniss nods, cutting me off, she looks like like she's listening but like she's somewhere else. She's done it ever since dad died.

"We need to get ready for the reaping, come on" Katniss smiles.

My stomach drops as I remember that today is my first reaping, everything inside me collapses and I feel like my lungs are full of water. I gasp for air desperately but it doesn't work "Prim its fine!" Katniss rubs my back "The odds are in your favour" she says with a silly Capitol accent which makes me giggle.

Katniss and I run a bath for us, she said I could go in it first when the water is warm, just because its my first reaping and because I'm nervous. We add loads of mom's old herbs into the bath to make it smell nice and hopefully the scent should sink into our skin, not that it matters what we smell like if we do get reaped. We only have around 3 baths a year, once for the new year as a District 12 tradition to symbolise a fresh or a clean start, once at the reaping and once on our birthday, the rest of the time we bathe in the freezing cold lake that gives us a cold.

I dip one toe in the water, then my leg, my stomach and then my whole body. I love being underwater, it looks so funny when everything is blurred, my hair flows around me and embraces me in a blanket of blonde hair. I stick my head out of the water for breath, where Katniss stands holding some dull clothes, reaping requirement.

"I wore this for my first reaping, consider it a good luck charm, she smiles "now come on, out the bath, I've got to clean up too" she kisses my forehead.

Katniss was a bit taller than I am when she was twelve, she was starving so her clothes where second hand and baggy. She gave me a white ruffled shirt and blue skirt, which keeps coming untucked at the back so Katniss keeps calling me 'little duck' and telling me to 'tuck in my tail'. Mom left one of her old dresses out for Katniss. She doesn't like the reapings, out of fear and something else, I think she lost someone to the Hunger Games, its one of them things you'll just never know and never have the courage to ask.

The walk to the reaping is almost silent, nobody talks out of nerves and the butterflies fluttering in our stomachs. I can see lots of people from my class, crying into their parents shoulder, I try my hardest to hide my panic but its hard. Tears stars uncontrollably streaming down my cheeks and I feel as though I might pass out

"Prim! Listen to me Prim, you're going to be fine! Okay" we reach the point where we have to split up according to our age groups. Katniss kisses my forehead and squeezes me tight before she heads off to the other sixteen year olds. I'm about to find Rory when Effie Trinket's squeaky voice echoes around the square

"Welcome, welcome" this year she is wearing all pink with a pink tinted curled wig, she's as fake as they come, all the Capitol citizens are, they spend thousands on ridicules clothes and leave us to starve to death. "Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favour. Now before we begin we have a special film sent to us all the way from the Capitol" everyone turns to the screen where the same film about war and the Hunger Games plays" I stand on my tiptoes, trying to find Rory before the reaping starts, but I cant see him anywhere, nor Gale. I hope they showed up, otherwise they'll be arrested. The film ends and I am forced to face the front again. "Ladies first" she sighs and moves her fingers around the bowl of girl's names. Gently brushing her gloved fingers over each piece of paper until she finally grasps one and walks back over to the microphone.

Effie clears her throat and projects clearly around the square the reaped girl.

"Primrose Everdeen"


End file.
